September 21, 2012

CA: Search continues for body of missing swimmer

Authorities were still searching for the body of a 25-year-old Carson City man who was presumed to have drowned Saturday, Sept. 15, in Lake Almanor.

Logan Merriweather was reportedly swimming from a boat with family members when he failed to return to the water craft around 6:30 p.m.

According to the Plumas County Sheriff’s Department, the people on the boat didn’t realize Merriweather hadn’t returned until after a few minutes had passed.

“There were four people on the boat,” Search and Rescue Coordinator Mike Grant said. “Two of them were out swimming. One of them swam back to the boat and got out of the water. And then they realized the other person didn’t get out.”

The sheriff’s dispatch received a 911 call at 6:41 p.m.

Grant said the first rescue boat from Hamilton Branch/Peninsula fire arrived on the scene about 21 minutes later.

“In that 21 minutes, the boat drifted about 1,600 feet,” Grant said. “The water in the area (Big Cove) is about 60-feet deep. There were a lot of unknowns. It was very difficult.”

Other agencies joined the search that went on until nearly midnight. Grant said search and rescue dogs and thermal imaging devices were used to try to locate Merriweather.

Grant said the search resumed Sunday morning at 6. By the time the recovery effort was scaled back three days later, he said many resources, including high-tech sonar imaging devices had been deployed.

Grant said five divers, a California Highway Patrol helicopter, and boats from Lake Almanor West, and Lassen and Yolo counties took part in the search.

“It was a big operation,” Grant said. “Those guys worked very hard.” Grant said his boat logged about 160 miles during the search.

He said the search is a “recovery operation” at this point. He added that Merriweather’s body likely would not be discovered until it floats to the surface. He said that could happen over the weekend.

Hiker Hell"This blog is about learning from other people's mistakes, so you don't make the same ones."
Many stories of how people on hikes got into trouble- the kind of trouble that leads to searches or recoveries.